Saturday, August 1, 2015

I'm not sure where the idea came from but whoever thought of it has saved my bacon (read sanity) more than they will ever know.... And it's so simple. Here's the concept.Every primary teacher thinks they have to have "jobs" for their students to do each day. You know, line leader, fish feeder, etc. And then you have switch up the jobs, make sure everyone gets a "fair" turn with each job. Heavy sigh. Then of course there comes the impossible task of recalling who's job it is to do what on the fly, in front of an audience who is willing to debate whatever comes out of your mouth. It is a recipe for chaos and tears... for the teacher. May I present your Knight in Shining Armour? Drum roll and trumpets. HAPPY HELPER. And the crowd of seriously exhausted kindergarten teachers goes crazy.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Are you like me and already thinking of that first day of Kindergarten? It's really not that far off and there's a boat load of to-do's before the big day arrives. Here's how I get ready for the first day(s). It won't get done by its self people.... get going already.

About a month and a half before school school starts I send out a little postcard to all of my students. It is the first in a set of mailing that will reach them before school starts. This first one helps me to get the ball rolling in setting up the classroom.

One big issue comes up when I go to put student names on about 40 thousand places around the room. You know what I'm talking about. As a Kindergarten teacher I don't know the history and story that follows most of these kids. This starts with there name. The paper I'm given says that this child's name is Tyson. Now the teacher questions come into play. Does he go by Ty? How in the world should I spell his name around the room? You know if you put Tyson on everything on the first day of school he or his parents will so.... "Oh, he actually goes by Ty." or worse yet, "Oh, he actually goes by Franky because that's his middle name." (of course, Franky) OR The child's name is Jayden. Boy? Girl? Oh, man what color would be best for this little kinder's name tag.... Jeepers.

Postcard to the rescue. Now this won't get you 100% return but it's a step in the right direction. Here's a PDF of the postcard I sent out this summer. I got some good return info on it and I will do a follow up phone call to those I didn't get a response back from but have questions about.Post Card Link

Monday, July 13, 2015

I seem to have deleted this post from my blog. I've had a few people try to find it. Well here it is. Check out the link for a copy without the hand. I hope this is a fun memorable project you will do each year.

Friday, January 2, 2015

I've been working on my newest project called "Penguin Pool Party". I wanted to challenge myself to complete a project. It seems that I start a lot and then don't finish. To challenge myself even further I wanted to place a QR code on the game included in the pack. The QR code directs you the teacher to a video explaining how to play the game. Just a little something extra to help you implement this product into your classroom. The rest of the product will be available at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Here's the video

Friday, August 23, 2013

Well I got rid of my desk. Now I have to deal with all the stuff that comes my way during the day. One of those is always the "Book, Boo, Boos" You know the book that just falls apart in a child's hands. They come screaming over to you, "I didn't do it. The pages just started falling out." In the old days I would gently take the book and place it on my desk for triage assessment a bit later. Well now with out a desk I have to find a place to keep the patient. So looking through pinterest I saw some really cute signs and I thought. "Yet again Pinterest, you have saved me." I got to work. Found a bucket at the Dollar Store that would hold most books and found these cute graphics at.... wait for it My Cute Graphics.com and Ta Dah. Book Hospital. To be honest it will be more like a morgue than a hospital but the first graders don't have to know my sinister plans. Get your Book Boo, Boo sign Here.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

You know it's coming. The first day of school. The first week of school. The first month of school. Yikes. These first few days are the most important of the year. Why? That's when we establish routines, procedures and relationships with our students. Without this solid foundation the rest of the school year will be down right terrifying for both the teacher and student.

I read an article featured on scholastic.com annotating a list a 30 classroom procedures. Being a teacher I shaped it into my own list to meet my needs. Below you will find my list. I encourage you to make your own list and post it in your class. I'll bet you are like me and didn't even realize how many routines and procedures you teach in those first few days. Wow!! It is amazing that 90% of those cute 6 year olds master it all. It's that last 10% that get me earning my paycheck (and then some) and stretching my creative juices. Click Here for The "I Know How To..." list